Splendors of Sardegna

d.o.c. wine bar, 83 North 7th St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 718/963-1925
Vino Italiano, Joseph Bastianich & David Lynch. Clarkson Potter Publishing. 2005


One senses these days that the Great Carb Scare of the early 21st century is nearing its overdue end, a superstitious and pathological fear held only by a remaining few masochists only a few pounds lighter. A release from this Dark Age has naturally given rise to a reemergence of enthusiasm for Italian cuisine, that food of peasants and kings, so given to breads and rice and cornmeal and pasta. Since the world has long esteemed Italian culinaria, adventurous diners are searching for new signs of undiscovered life, and finding it among the lonely savage landscapes of Sardegna.

On a once quiet block in Williamsburg, Brooklyn the d.o.c. Wine Bar (or Denominazione di Origine – the highest Italian wine classification) has opened shop (actually for about two years), run by young family members serving the food and wine of their native island. Repeated visits to d.o.c. continually confirm the restaurant's inherent charm, as well as that of the region's cuisine. An extensive handwritten wine list awes with its comprehensive selection of novel grape varieties, in addition to nightly wine specials. Cheese and cold cut boards make up the bulk of the menu and are essential to dinner here, but also available is a selection of crostinis, pressed sandwiches, salads and pastas. Soup of the day is always a good idea at d.o.c., where we've enjoyed a chicken broth laced with grainy cheese dumplings in the winter, and a chilled potato-fennel puree in summertime, topped by a dollop of Sardegnian goat cheese. Bravely order the white sardines marinated in balsamico and you'll be plesantly surprised by their briny and tart bite (hint: one plate for a table of four should be enough).

In their numbingly thorough opus Vino Italiano, Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch describe the cuisine and wines of Sardegna as being amongst Italy's most untouched and removed from revision by the world, an “ethnicity unto itself.” Therefore, “the wines that crop up in the islan's remote boulder-strewn soils often have a similarly indefinable, incomparable quality”. The recipe below is pure Sardegna, and slightly adapted from Vino Italiano; it is so basic and delicious you will want to prepare it over and over. What better excuse to try a different Sardegnian varietal with each meal? We suggest seeking out a bottle of cannonau (the Italian version of grenache) or cargignano (a firm tannined, rich red). After sampling both of course at the charming d.o.c.


PORCHETTA SARDA (Roast Pork, Sardinian Style)

2-3 lb. Pork loin / 2 T. salt / 8 cloves garlic, cut into large pieces / 1 cup vermentino wine (a Sardinian variety, but any dry white may be substituted) / 8 fresh sage leaves, chopped / 1 large bunch parsley / about ¼ cup olive oil / 1/3 cup honey / zest and juice of 1 small lemon / 1 cup chicken stock

1. Overnight: place loin in large pan and cover with salt and up to 3 cups of water. Place in the refrigerator. Mash garlic into a paste and place in a bowl with the wine. Allow to sit at room temperature.
2. At least 8 hours later, heat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse pork well and pat dry.
3. Place garlic-wine mixture in a larger bowl and add to it the sage and parsley. Whisk into it all of the olive oil. Season the loin with this mixture and place in a roasting pan.
4. Mix honey, lemon juice and the zest together, and brush over top surface of pork. Place in oven and bake for 40 minutes or until internal temperature reads 140 degrees. Bast every 10 minutes.
5. When cooked, remove loin from pan and rest on platter for 30 minutes. This is a good time to season teh meat thoroughly with fresh ground black pepper. Meanwhile, place roasting pan onstove and scrape up cooked bits from bottom, boiling until juices thicken. Drizzle this "gravy" over pork loin, slice and serve.

Good sides might include: baked white beans or fresh fava beans cooked in olive oil; sauteed escarole or chicory or, in springtime, dandelion greens; pumpkin or acorn squash roasted with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and honey; brussels sprouts cooked with bacon and sweet onions.